alignment

[bobbyribby]

OK i have  a  alignment problem i  changed  every  part in the  front end  even the  steering column and no one  seems to be  able to line it  up, there saying from the   from frame being bent   3/8 , and my wheel wont return after i take   a left or right  and the  front end  looks like it set way to high now

[bobbyribby]

and there saying it  just in specs

[bobbyribby]

how can it be in specs  when the  front  ends high  and the  wheel wont  return

[green69rt]

how can it be in specs  when the  front  ends high  and the  wheel wont  return

Don't know about the alignment but the steering wheel return problem may be due to the fitting on top of the steering column that has the hose attached.  That fitting slides back and forth and needs to be positioned just right.  If you have a FSM it explains.

[randy73]

OK i have  a  alignment problem i  changed  every  part in the  front end  even the  steering column and no one  seems to be  able to line it  up, there saying from the   from frame being bent   3/8 , and my wheel wont return after i take   a left or right  and the  front end  looks like it set way to high now

what year and body style?
Was the car aligned right before you changed out the frontend parts?

[charger Downunder]

More details was your car in a smash, is that why you changed everything, did you change the cross member or take it out,Manuel or power steering?
Set the height your self put the car on a flat level surface measure from floor to bottom of the inner wheel arch do the front and back right down the measurements at all for corners. Remember dropping front right will raise back left and vise versa on the other side.
Set the front at a height that you want don,t worry about specs do a height that looks good with the right rake that you are after. Remember to take the weight of the car when winding/ adjusting  the torsion bar bolts to adjust the height. After each adjustment drive car back and forth to settle the suspension down and re measure all for corners and adjust again and again until you get it right or close enough. You may find you cant get any closer than five mm and the rear bay be hard to get at the same height but muck around and you should get it right. Make sure you have the same tyre pressure all round. When done go for a short drive put the car back on the level surface, set the wheels to straight and look at them from the front by eye and see if the top of the wheel needs to go in or out adjust top cam bolts for the side your working on do the other side move car to settle everything and adjust again if needed.
Last look at car from front wheels straight and see if the tyres are pointing in wards or out and adjust at tie rods you wont the pointing straight once right go for a drive. Now it should be set pretty close that you can drive it and its easier to get the alignment done.
Maybe try another shop remember they don't get charge much and want the car in and out and don't want to waist much time on it, so get it about right in the first place to make it easy for them

[HPP]

OK i have  a  alignment problem i  changed  every  part in the  front end  even the  steering column and no one  seems to be  able to line it  up, there saying from the   from frame being bent   3/8 , and my wheel wont return after i take   a left or right  and the  front end  looks like it set way to high now

and there saying it  just in specs

how can it be in specs  when the  front  ends high  and the  wheel wont  return

These are all entirely possible because they are seperate and indivual problems. Odds are they used the factory specs unless you requested something different, and that is part of the problem. Factor specs are for skinny bias ply tires and granny driving.

So, to your questions, first; is the frame truly bent and if so, where? There are ways to compensate for minor tweaks. if they got it in spec, then I'm guess things are minor. The wheel not returning to center could be the result of several or a combination of problems. If you have the print out of the specs they acheived, lets see it. Also, if you can list everything you changed, or altered as well as if it behaved this way prior to the rebuild, that will help us. Does it not return while sitting, while driving, or when exactly?

Second; being in spec, yeah, probably. Again, factory specs are not for radials and not for performance driving.

Third; being in spec for alignment only means the particular angles, including the ride height, are set to factory numbers. The ride height was NOT set to the fender lip but rather is a measurement from the ground to the t-bar socket and lower ball joint. FWIW, the factory specs these cars in a nose high attitude by having the t-bar socket set higher than the lower ball joint by around 1.125" to 1.875" higher. That can easily translate to a 3" increase in ride height when viewed from the fender.

To make it look and work right, you're probably going to need another alignment. First you need to resolve the return to center issue. Then set the ride height, where you want want it so it looks good, then you need to request non-original alignment specs  to make it feel and perform correctly. Tell the shop DO NOT change the ride height. Then request these specs;  as much positive caster as possible, up to around 5*. You want zero to negative .5 degrees camber. To wrap it up, put .0625 inches, not degrees, of toe in.

[bobbyribby]

its a 69 charger,  b body, and i changed all the parts because the car was under  water  so i  changed everything  all new  upper  and lower control arm bushings and all new  ball joints, and new  steering box , pit man arm idler arm tie rod ends and sleeve, strut rod bushings,  but still old  k frame, and a new steering column. all new.there saying mow i should change  k frame its has a dent in it ,and the  frames off 3/8 of a inch, i have the specs ,

[bobbyribby]

specs

[bobbyribby]

Sent the specs any know id there right

[pro451bee]

Ill bet you have a bind in the column .Try to raise up the front wheels and try and turn the wheels left and right and feel for tight spots in the linkage.jack at k frame and put stands under the lower control arms to simulate the weight as a loaded chassis.If there is a bind,try to loosen the column where it goes through the  floor, it will move around allot   if you loosen the bolts.Might have to remove the pot coupler and inspect.You need more castor in your set up and the rear axle is toed out too much also.Needs to be straightened.Did you grease the new ball joints enough?

[HPP]

I'd certainly check out what pro451bee is saying. Then get a new alignment shop. So, do you know if the car has been wrecked previously? Did everything work properly before you swapped out parts?

The specs you have are close to factory, even though they are actually worse than factory. Is the shop saying the bent frames are causing this issue? That could be a true statement if things are really off 3/8". But, if they could get it close to the stock specs, then I suspect the bent stuff is not as bad as they make it out to be. Replace a K because of a dent, get real.

So again, I'd see if you can find a bind and address it as pro451bee pointed out. Then I'd take the car to a different shop and request the specs I gave you earlier. See what the result is from that, then determine if the car is working satisfactory or if not, decide if you need to put it on a frame rack to have it checked out further. IMO, if the frame is that tweaked, you would have other issues like panel alignment and engine/trans fitment that would make things obvious.

[bobbyribby]

ok ill do all that  but the  steering column is all new and i disconnect  it  and it  spins  free  reall good, but before all the new parts , the car  was straight  and  the wheel returned    that why i dont think it  a k frame thing  , but i dont know  maybe after  all the new parts and aJUSTMENTS  who  knows ??/ lol. i put it on a  laser  frame rack today  and cost alot but he  said its off  slightly about 3/8  but shouldnt  cuz the  issues i have , and k frame wont make a dif  , does that sound  right???

[green69rt]

If you look at the body measurements in the FSM then MOPAR allows 1/4" deviation so 3/8" probaably won't cause any problem.  Keep looking!!

[HPP]

Agreed. With the factory assembly tolerances, there is a lot of allowable margin. A dent in the K won't make a difference. 3/8" variation isn't ideal, but isn't the end of the world either.

What pro451bee is saying is that there may be an interface bind with the linkage somewhere, not just the column by itself. If the column spins freely, great! Now hook it up. Support the cars weight on the control arms to simulate ride height, but without a load on the tires. Now turn the system back and forth and see if anything sticks.

[bobbyribby]

ok i will do that in the morning and see